♪ ♪ >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. moments from now president biden will pause to recognize a level of loss in this country that's unthinkable, many would say unforgiveable. the u.s. surpassed 500,000 deaths, 500,000 deaths from covid-19. we're of course bring you the president's remarks live and immediately after he speaks there will be a candlelighting ceremony and a moment of silence in honor of the 500,000 moms, dads, children, grandparents, brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends who died in a little over a year here in the united states. this horrific milestone coming at a truly critical moment in the pandemic with trends now

improving significantly. vaccines offering new hope. as we wait for the president, i want to bring in quickly our senior white house correspondent phil mattingly. we're looking at live pictures. i see the president walking over to the microphone right now. phil, stand by. let's listen. >> each day i receive a small card in my pocket that i carry with me with my schedule. it shows the number of americans who have been infected by or died from covid-19. today we mark a truly grim, heart-breaking milestone. 500,071 dead. that's more americans who have died in one year in this pandemic than in world war i, world war ii, the vietnam war

c com combined. that's more lives lost to this virus than any other nation on earth. as we acknowledge the scale of this mass death in america, we remember each person and the life they lived. they're people we knew. they're people we feel like we knew. read the obituaries and remembrances. the son who called his mom every night. the fathers who daughters lit up their world. the best friend who was always there. the nurse, the nurses, the nurse who made her patients want to live. i was just in ka la ma zoo, michigan at the pfizer

manufacturing facility. there i met a man whose father-in-law was dying of the virus. he was sad. i asked if i could fcall his father-in-law. he said he was too sick to speak, but could i pray for him. could i pray for him? we all know someone who lived a life of struggle, purpose and hope. they talked late into the night about their dreams, who wore the uniform, born to serve, who loved, played and always offered a hand. we often hear of people described as ordinary americans. there's no such thing. there's nothing ordinary about them. the people we lost were extraordinary. they spanned generations. born in america, immigrated to america, but just like that so many of them took their final

breath alone in america. as a nation, we can't accept such a cruel fate. we've been fighting this pandemic for so long. we have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow. we have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur or on the news. we must do so to honor the dead, but equally important care for the living, those they left behind. for the loved ones left behind. i know all too well -- i know what it's like to not be there when it happens. i know what it's like when you are there holding their hands as you look in their eye and they slip away. that black hole in your chest,

you feel like you're being sucked into it. the survivor's remorse, the anger. the questions of faith in your soul. for some of you it's been a year, a month, a week, a day, even an hour. i know that when you stare at that empty chair around the kitchen table, it brings it all back no matter how long ago it happened, as if it just happened that moment you're looking at that empty chair. the birthdays, the anniversaries, the holidays without them, the every day things, the small things, tiny things that you miss the most. the scent when you open the closet. that park you go by that cyou used to stroll in. that movie theater where you met. the morning coffee you shared

together. the bend in his smile, the perfect pitch to her laugh. i received a letter from a daughter whose father died of covid-19 on easter sunday last year. she and her children, his grandchildren, enter lent this season, the season of reflection and renewal, with heavy hearts, unable to properly mourn she asked me what was our loss among so many others? well, that's what has been so cruel. so many of the rituals that help us cope, that help us honor those we loved haven't been available to us. the final rights with family gathered around, the proper home-going, showered with stories and love. tribal leaders passing out the

final traditions of sacred cultures on sacred lands. as a nation, we cannot and we must not let this go on. that's why the day before my inauguration the covid-19 memorial at the reflecting pool on the national mall i said to heal we must remember. i know it's hard. i promise you i know it's hard. i remember. that's how you heal. you have to remember. it's also important to do that as a nation. for those who have lost loved ones, this is what i know -- they're never truly gone. they'll always be part of your heart. i know this as well, that it seems unbelievable, but i

promise you the day will come when the memory of the loved one you lost will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye. it will come. i promise you. my prayer for you, though, is that they will come sooner rather than later. that's when you know you're going to be okay. you're going to be okay. for me, the way through sorrow and grief is to find purpose. i don't know how many who have lost someone are wondering is he or she proud of me now? is this what they want me to do? i know that's how i feel. we can find purpose, purpose worthy of the lives they lived and worthy of the country we love. so today, i ask all americans to

remember. remember those we lost. remember those we left behind. as we remember, as we all remember, i also ask us to act to remain vigilant, to stay socially distant, to mask up, get vaccinated when it's your turn. we must end the politics and misinformation that's divided families, communities and the country. it's cost too many lives already. it's not democrats and republicans who are dying from the virus. it's our fellow americans. it's our neighbors, our friends, our mothers, our fathers, our sons, our daughters, husbands, wives. we have to fight this together as one people, as the united states of america. that's the only way we're going to beat this virus, i promise

you. the only way to spare more pain and more loss, the only way. these milestones no longer mark our national mourning. let this not be a story of how far we fell, but of how far we climbed back up. we can do this. for in this year of profound loss, we've seen profound courage from all of you on the frontlines. i know the stress, the trauma, the grief you carry. you give us hope. you keep us going. you remind us that we do take care of our own. we leave nobody behind. while we've been humbled, we've never given up. we are america. we can and will do this.

in just a few minutes jill and i, kamala and doug will hold a moment of silence here in the white house, the people's house, your house. we ask you to join us to remember so we can heal to find purpose in the work ahead, to show that there is light in the darkness. this nation will smile again. this nation will know sunny days again. this nation will know joy again. as we do, we'll remember each person we've lost, the lives they lived, the loved ones they left behind. we will get through this, i promise you. my heart aches for those of you going through it right now. may god bless you all, particularly those who have lost someone. god bless you.

>> the president of the united states speaking powerfully and very, very emotionally about the 500,000 americans who have died over the past year from covid-19. he and the vice president, they will walk down to the south port co. you'll see them walking down the steps. there will be a candlelighting ceremony and a moment of silence to honor the 500,000 americans who have died from covid-19. looks like the candles are already there. this will be a very emotional moment. phil mattingly, this is very carefully planned what the president and vice president are doing right now. >> reporter: it is. it underscores the approach the president has taken to this pandemic, to recognizing this pandemic. one of the key points that he made highlights why they're doing this tonight.

he was talking about becoming numb to the size and the scale of the numbers you've seen over the past year. it's easy to become numb with a number that that's large. it seems incomprehensible. the president and his team have been planning this. they made clear they want people to pause. it is a grim milestone. every one of those 500,000 people is a person, is a person who has a loved one that longs for them, all the things the president tried to describe. he was also tapping into his personal experiences, with references to not being there when somebody died, probably a preference to his first wife and daughter, being there holding someone's hand when they died, a reference to his son beau. trying to show he relates, he understands. towards the end trying to pivot.

recognizing this moment and how meaningful it is for the country, how terrible it is for the country, but also the moment the country is approaching. the ability to perhaps turn the page. the ability to show the perseverance and president biden's willingness to believe the absolute best in america, even in its darkest moments. trying to balance the grim milestone with the hope for what could be ahead, what could be co coming based on everything we've seen in terms of progress with vaccinations, progress with case counts and death counts. all of this to tie everything together and to underscore this moment in time which will become more poignant. >> we're told there are 500 candles already lit, 500 candles to honor the 500,000 americans who have died of covid-19.

dr. tom freedman, the former cdc director is with us. doctor, help put this awful death toll into perspective for us. >> well, first off, wolf, i have to say the president's remarks are so moving coming, as you say, from his personal experience of loss and tragedy. the fundamental message that life is -- >> doctor, hold on for the moment. i want to set the scene. we see the president and first lady, the vice president and second gentleman doug emhoff. a moment of silence. [ amazing grace ]

[ amazing grace played instrumentally ]

[ moment of silence ] >> a beautiful moment indeed. no words were necessary right there as they paid tribute to 500,000 americans, now 500,000 americans plus who died from coronavirus over the past year.

we were speaking with dr. tom freedman, former cdc director. at one point, doctor, we heard the president speak of that black hole in your chest, you're being sucked into it, the pain that so many millions of americans are feeling right now as they remember their loved ones. this is so powerful as we think about what has happened in our country, doctor. >> absolutely, wolf. the concept that we have to view this with meaning by ensuring that, first off, we prevent all the deaths we can going forward. vaccination, double down on protection protocols and also that we not just build back better, but build back healthier. that we improve our public health and primary care systems in this country and around the world to knock down this pandemic and make people more resilient and prevent a future pandemic to the greatest extent

possible. this is a somber moment. it's also a moment for reded rededication. >> the president said we cannot let this go on. he's raising hopes we can get over this, although right now thousands and thousands of americans continue to die. dana bash is with us now. more americans have died from covid this one year than died in all the years of world war i, world war ii and the vietnam war combined. >> it's almost hard to wrap your mind around, the numbers are so incredibly staggering. can i also take a moment to say what a moment? what an event that the white house put on for the american people and for the world to memorialize the 500,000 people who have been taken by this virus. you know, i don't want to do a

lot of looking back. at almost the same location where his predecessor came back from the hospital having the virus himself and ripped off his mask. what a difference just a few months makes in having somebody who, as my colleagues have said, you know, wants to emote and empathize and to sympathize and to grieve with this country because that is who he is. unfortunately because of his own personal tragedies. he does this almost on a daily basis and he talked about that with the card that he carries in his coat pocket, but also with people who he calls all the time. if he hears somebody is sick, if he hears something lost a loved one, he's on the phone. you hear countless stories, i'm sure you've heard as well, wolf, over the decades he's been in office. >> these are live pictures coming in. you can see those 500 candles lit to honor the 500,000 americans who have died from

covid. malika henderson is with us as well. the moment was so different. we saw the president and vice president and their spouses. they're all wearing masks. the marine guards wearing masks. this is in such contrast from what we saw from trump. >> that's right. this is a president that wants to send the message that mask wearing is necessary. mask wearing is patriotic. mask wearing saves lives and over these next many, many months, even as people get the vaccines, it's still necessary to wear the mask. it's still necessary to socially distance from each other. it's still necessary to wash our hands. you know, this event tonight, so necessary as well. the president touched on this. the fact that so many tens of thousands of americans are not having the rituals of death that they normally would because of

covid. they're having to have funerals over zoom. they're having to say good-bye to their loved ones over facetime. they're not able to visit in the hospital. they're not able to have eulogies in person and the songs and the home-going ceremonies that people are used to when they're saying good-bye to their loved ones. this moment takes the place of that in some ways. it allows americans to come together. it allows americans to really pause and reflect on this enormous loss that this nation, that the world really has experienced because of this awful, awful pandemic that has taken so many of our neighbors, brothers, sisters, grandparents. he talked about the enormity of it, you know, from young people to the very old, a loss from this terrible, terrible disease. i imagine this won't be the last time this president has to do this, even though some of the

trend lines are better than they were weeks ago, there's still a long way to go in terms of this virus being out of control and people still facing death and illness and sickness. we saw the president -- the in-coming prtesident do this. i imagine over the next many, many months there will be times when he has to mark another terrible moment and another terrib terrible death toll. >> doctor, i raise the issue of the president and vice president wearing masks because it's still so important. people think the numbers are going down, there's vaccines and you can let down your guard. you can't let down your guard. i heard dr. francis collins point out if people had been encouraged to wear masks over the past year, thousands and thousands of americans who died would be alive right now.

do you agree? >> absolutely. it's a sad somcommentary. the fact is we're not out of the woods yet. vaccines are rolling out, but most americans are susceptible to the coronavirus. the risk of new variants is quite real. it's time to double odown on protection protocols. mask up and recognize that come summer, fall we'll be in a much better situation than now. still today more than 2,500 americans were killed by this virus. we have to get past -- the president talked about getting hardened to the numbers. we have to recognize the faces and the lives behind each one of those numbers and recognize that because life is so precious we have to do more. we have to keep our guard up. we have to make sure we get cases down to much lower levels than they are now and keep them

there with very careful measures. >> phil mattingly is still with us. phil, what's so significant, i think, is the white house is doing this three time a week -- these briefings, these covid briefings mondays, wednesday and fridays. they want to tell the american public what's going on, the good, the bad and the ugly, right? >> reporter: that's been their mandate since president biden took office. look, i think they made very clear from their first day in office that they wanted to go in a completely different direction than the administration of his predecessor. they wanted to essentially raise up the scientists, the public policy officials who are making the decisions and playing a key roll in advising the president in how to make the decisions and also the ones who can take the raw data and tell you what's

happening. the three time a week briefings are permanent. they take questions from reporters and take difficult questions from reports as well. one thing to keep in mind, wolf, it's been so very clear, the contrast is so stark from the past administration, as one congressional democrat told me it wasn't like there was a very high bar to clear. the administration is cognizant of that as well. they've been very cautious from the president on down in terms of predictions they're willing to make. they're being very careful about what they're saying is coming. they will acknowledge when it comes to vaccines the united states will be in a very good place come summer in terms of availability. when it comes to testing and tracing, they believe they're making head way as well.

however, you will not hear the president guarantee that something is going to be better in a couple weeks or months. in fact, some of his guarantees in terms of returning to normalcy are very cautious including to some in the science community i've spoken with. my point being this all ties together into a theory that this administration took when they came into office. they wanted to be seen as individuals that were telling the truth. they wanted to be seen as having their experts out front. they wanted to be seen as not just willing to tell the hard truths, but not predicting things will be rosier than they are. that goes to moments like tonight, moments like january 19th where the president was memorializing the 400,000 deaths at that point. just think, a little more than a month later, it's now 500,000. the trend lines have been looking better, but this is

catastrophic death occurring on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. the president says they want people to remember these are real people, these are real families. it's not just the public health response or how quickly we get back to normalcy. >> and he points out so often you couldn't say good-bye to your mother, father, grandparents because you couldn't get near a hospital during these awful times. dan, i think it's clear that president biden underscores on almost a daily basis that dealing with covid-19 is his priority number one. >> no question, which is -- he's doing it in terms of being the consoler in chief in terms of trying to amend the policies that were passed in a bipartisan

way, like the ppe program which needed to be changed, he said. that was agreed to, i think, by a lot of people in both parties because it wasn't targeted enough to businesses that really needed the money. and then, of course, the big push he has, the one that is defining for his administration right now that is moving through the house this week which is the $1.9 trillion in aid he insists is needed for the coronavirus to get under control, for the economy to get back on track. he's staking everything on that. another promise he made was to be bipartisan. he's decided in the short term that the more important legacy marker and the more important goal for this country is to do what he is told by his advisers is necessary, which is to go

very, very big. that's almost exclusively his focus which is what he promised he would do if he got elected. >> it's going through -- almost certainly will go through the house of representatives. the senate where there's 50 democrats, 50 republicans it's much more problematic right now. >> it is problematic because you have republicans who are saying that maybe they would get on board if he makes the package a little smaller. you have some democrats saying they don't want the $15 minimum wage in there and other democrats saying they want that in there. could that even get through the reconciliation? a process is a whole other thing. what you find out in the country is there's widespread bipartisan support for a package like this. people want to see schools re-open. people want to see these small businesses get a life line. they want to see the vaccine process speed up. of course, some of the money is going there.

so can he keep those 50 democrats together and then have a kamala harris, the vice president, break the tie? that's the big question. we'll see that over the next weeks unfold. >> dr. freedman, i'm anxious to get your perspective. is it fair to say we've seen the worst of this so far and we're moving in the right direction and at some point we'll get back to some semblance of normal? >> cases are plummeting fast. that's good news. with that hospitalizations are falling and deaths will fall. i think one piece of very good news is we're seeing many fewer deaths in nursing homes already. within another month you'll see the vaccination program in nursing homes really kick in and vaccinations of seniors kick in. much lower death rates from covid. the question that hangs in the balance right now, wolf, is will we have a fourth surge? we've had three surges.

whether or not we have a fourth is up to us. more infectious variants make it possible that there will be one. the risk that there will be variants that get around the vaccine or get around our natural immunity is real. we're seeing that in other parts of the world, but we don't know how serious that problem is. basically we have to make sure we stay safe because every life is precious as tonight's ceremony and commemoration showed. that's why it's so important that we keep it up. even though cases are coming down dramatically, they're still at higher levels than they were at the peaks of the first and second surges. unless we're careful, we could have a fourth surge. every uncontrolled spread increases the risk that there will be dangerous variants that can be more infectious, more deadly or can escape from immune protection. the point here is to keep up

what we're doing to track very closely and recognize that masking up is here to stay for many more months. avoiding sharing indoor air with others is very important. as we begin to loosen up things, we need to keep a close track on how things are going, ramping up testing and tracing and being ready to dial it back. >> good perspective. very important. stay safe out there. no time to let up. doctor, thank you very much. nia, phil and dana, thanks to you. an important programming note to all our viewers, join jake tapper later tonight as cnn pauses to honor the lives of 500,000 americans lost to covid-19. that airs later tonight, 11:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn.

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tonight president biden is leading the nation in mourning, 500,000 people now lost to the coronavirus in this country, urging americans to remain

vigilant against the pandemic as the death toll hit this gut-wrenching new level. there's more news we're following, including the president's nominee for attorney general, judge merrick garland wrapped up a few minutes ago. he's promising to restore value and independence to the justice department. tell us what happened. >> reporter: merrick garland promising a departure from the four years of the justice department under president trump. this process took a little longer than the white house wanted. after answering several hours of questions today, merrick garland seems to be on the road to confirmation. merrick garland, president biden's pick for attorney general, making it clear that a justice department he runs would be different. >> i'm not the president's lawyer. i am the united states' lawyer. >> reporter: garland pledged an

independent doj, one that would follow the rule of law and pursue prosecutions aimed at confronts america's biggest problem. >> if confirmed, i will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the capitol an january 6th, a heinous attack that sought to corrupt a corner stone of our democracy, the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government. >> reporter: garland, a federal judge, said the investigation into the january 6th insurrection will be a massive job and his top priority. >> i think this was the most heinous attack on the democratic process that i've ever seen, and one that i never expected to see in my lifetime. one of the very first things i'll do is get a briefing on the progress of this investigation. i intend to give the career

prosecutors who are working on this matter 24/7 all of the resources they could possible require to do this. >> reporter: garland took tough questions from republican senators on a wide-range of controversy al topics, like his support for oklahoma bomber timothy mcvay, something he said he doesn't regret. he pushed back on the idea of defunding the police. >> president biden said he doesn't support defunding the police, neither do i. >> reporter: arguing while reform of policing is necessary, a whole ssale reduction in fundg is not the answer. the judge who was at one point a nominee for supreme court by president obama, but never got a hearing, got personal. >> i come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-semitism

and persecution. this country took us in and protected us, and i feel an obligation to the country to pay back. >> reporter: a very personal moment from a long-time public servant. it appears that garland is done answering questions from the senators. the second day of his hearing will be from witnesses that come from outside of him personally. it does appear as though he's on track to being confirmed. several republicans voiced support for garland's nomination including john cornyn of texas and chuck grassley of iowa. once his vote comes before the senate, it seems it will pass easily. >> overwhelming impressed. a very impressive man. let's discuss with the former

u.s. attorney doug jones, he's now a cnn political commentator. senator, thank you for joining us. judge garland will be taking the helm at the justice department after four chaotic years. a lot of turnover, lots of politicalization of the department. what are the biggest challenges facing garland and the department of justice for that matter? >> first of all, i think judge garland will bring that integrity to the department that is badly needed. i think he's going to be the kind of person that the attorneys -- remember he spent time in the justice department, as an assistant united states attorney. that's important to those career lawyers. i think someone who has been there, has done that is going to bring that system to them that they're going to have the confidence in. as a judge for 20 years, he's bringing independence to them and his integrity is beyond reproach. that's going to be the biggest

thing i think that's going to help this justice department get on its feet, move forward. i think that the biggest challenges they've got right now are dealing with that january 6th insurrection, dealing with all the political things that have gone on, the stop the steal, everything else, the white supremacy issues that we've seen rising over the last few years. he'll have his hands full, no question about it. i think the biden administration is putting together a great team. he's going to lead that department with a great team. i think he'll do very, very well. >> he was so impressive during the questioning today. he promised he won't be the president's lawyer. he said he'll be the lawyer for the american people. how does he handle some of the sensitive issues that will come forward, the probe into hunter biden? how does he deal with that? >> just like he's done his entire career, with an honest straightforward way, applying the facts to the law and making

the decision without political consequences. that's how he does it. that's how it should have been done the last four years. i don't think anyone would argue that that has not always been the case in the last four years. that's the way judge merrick garland will do that. he'll make decisions based on the advice he's given and the facts and the law and without regard to political consequences in representing -- i hope people appreciate this. he'll represent the people of the united states of america, not a political party, not the president of the united states or anyone in the government. he is representing the people. >> he is so well-qualified to do that. your background, senator, is in civil rights. what did you make of judge garland's testimony today on civil rights and voting rights for that matter? >> well, i was very pleased with the attorney general nominee acknowledging the problem we

have with white supremacist and the growth of white supremacy in this country. it's been denied by that justice department with a few exceptions like the director of the fbi and others. for the attorney general nominee to acknowledge that, he knows the history. he saw what happened in the 1960s. he saw the rise of the militia groups with timothy mcvay and others. this is a more significant problem we're seeing here now. they've been emboldened by the past administration. they've had the time to foment this thing and grow with social media. it's a challenge for him. coming from alabama and seeing all we've seen in this state and others, i'm so pleased that's a direction that's going to be a top priority for this administration. it's going to be a top priority for not just the attorney general, but his deputy attorney

general and for kristen clarke who will head the civil rights division. it's going to be an issue for her as well, and it has to be front and center. >> what did you think of his powerful, emotional, near tears statement, when he thanked america for welcoming his grandparents who were escaping anti-semitism to come to this country and start a new life? >> if anybody ever questioned merrick garland's commitment to the rule of law, to the constitution, to the united states of america, it should have been erased right there. he talked about his grandparents. he talked about the opportunities and the protections that they were afforded when they got to this country. those are the protections we're talking about right now with all of the issues that this country is facing. it's those protections for all people of all races, and religions. so i think he did such a really good job of making sure the

american people understand his background, where he comes from and they're going to be treated fairly and equally regardless of who they are. >> so, so powerful and moving, especially to those of us who are children or grandchildren of refugees who have come to this country to try to start a new life and avoid persecution. senator jones, thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure, wolf, any time. still ahead former president donald trump suffers a major defeat at the united states supreme court. what will it mean for the criminal investigations into his taxes? we'll be right back. tonight i'll be eating lobster thermidor au gratin. really? sh-yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt. make it two calzones!

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tonight, former president trump's legal troubles are intensifying big time. the united states supreme court has ditched his attempts to keep hands off our tax returns. >> reporter: tonight, donald trump losing a major fight. the supreme court has cleared the way for new york city's top prosecutors to obtain trump's tax returns dating back to 2011. responding, the work continues. prosecutors have been probing two separate schemes linked to the president's taxes for more than two years. >> it shows me it's getting more and more serious. now they are going to get the tax returns. >> reporter: they first began

examining hush money to two women who alleged affairs with trump to see if they falsified records in connection to reimbursements, and court filings indicated they were invest dwating tax crimes with bank and insurance fraud. the supreme court never have left this phishing expedition happen. but it did. and they reiterated the witch hunt theme he has been saying for years. >> the greatest witch hunt where people want to examine every deal you have done to see if there is comma out of place. >> reporter: t only intensified. adding a well known former prosecutor in financial crimes and they interviewed michael

cohen about trump's schemes. >> has the president has lied about revenue? >> yes. >> was it done with the president's knowledge or direction? >> everything was done with the knowledge and direction of mr. trump. >> reporter: but the public won't get access to trump's tax returns. they will be released to the d.a. for the grand jury only. but if trump or his business face charges, details can be exposed. donald trump paid no income taxes for 10 of 15 years because he lost more than he made, and when trump was in the white house, he only paid $750 in federal income taxes. and the timing of the return, we are told they expect to receive them electronically in a few days.

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join the world's leading companies in our mission to defend. cybereason. end cyber attacks. from endpoints to everywhere. finally tonight, as the united states has hit 1 million coronavirus deaths, we share stories of those we lost. thomas was 73 years old. he was an air traffic controller and he played santa every christmas. support of his gay son led him to be a father figure to many others in the lgbtq community. phillips was 76. he marked 55 years on the job of an aerospace company.

he was find and loving and encouraged his six children to work hard for what they want in life. may they rest in peace and may their memories be a blessing. follow me on twitter and stain gram. tweet the show, @cnnsitroom. erin burnett out front starts now. president trump's attempts to ditch his tax returns denied by the supreme court. and breaks news tonight, the united states hitting the grim milestone of 500,000 people dead from coronavirus. president biden trying to comfort a hurting nation, a nation that had zero deaths and on the 35 known cases a year ago today. plus, why was kim jong-un